One More Drink
by Lynx Hates Everything
Summary: Sayaka invites several friends to drink with her on her 20th birthday, but Kyoko is the only one who can make it. Kyoko asks Homura for advice on how to handle this, with positive results thanks to her help.


Sort of side thing to _Confessions_, a different fic I wrote where Kyoko mentioned in a one-off line that she and Sayaka had gotten together over some alcohol. More than one person said I should write how that happened, so here it is. Wasn't planning on doing it so soon, but it's also a (belated) birthday present to a friend so everyone gets it.

Everyone's alive and it's post-series, so I'm just going with the suggestion that this is after the PSP game's best ending. No relation to _Rebellion Story_ so no spoilers present. Also my first attempt at actual KyouSaya so let's see how that goes.

* * *

"We don't go out like this often enough." Kyoko looked at Homura across the table from her, wasting no time in shoving a cluster of fries in her mouth.

"I see no need to increase the frequency. I'd rather not make a regular habit of watching you swallow a hamburger in three bites." Homura, in contrast, had great restraint in eating only a single fry at a time.

"But that makes nine bites if I eat three burgers. Nine bites isn't so bad." If she were more sensitive about her eating habits she would avoid lunch dates with Homura like she avoided an empty stomach. But if she stopped giving her crap over minor things, it wouldn't be the same.

"Do you really need to keep your mouth full any time you aren't speaking?" Yep, definitely Homura.

Kyoko swallowed her fries before she should have been done chewing them. "I don't need my mouth to listen to you."

"I'm surprised you could survive to this old with the eating habits of a starving child." Homura froze at her poor word choice, and there was a brief moment of silence between them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"Hell if I care." Admittedly her childhood before she made her contract was the only thing she was touchy about, but it was just a bad joke in poor taste. If it was Homura, it was just a rare opening to give her shit right back. "You can make it up to me if you give me a chicken nugget."

Homura rolled her eyes and passed one to her, and she made a point to eat in one bite. "Why did you want to go out today?"

"I wanted to talk. Real talk." As fun as the chatting was, she didn't drag her out unless she had a reason. Not often, at least.

"What's wrong?" That was the first thing she'd heard from her in a whole week that wasn't biting sarcasm or an implication that she would rather be anywhere else. She appreciated that she knew when it was time to be serious.

"Nothing's wrong." She considered tearing into one of her burgers, but settled with speaking a little more while opening them more slowly than she normally would have. "I just need someone to talk to."

"It sounds like something is wrong." Her serious face wasn't any different from when she was harassing her, but a few years of putting up with it and she could tell when she was sincere.

"Nothing like that. You know…." She stalled several seconds by taking a bite of her burger. "Sayaka's still single, I thought she'd be with someone by now."

"Did you think she would jump from guy to guy after ending a relationship?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Nah, not like that." Kyoko waved a hand in front of her dismissively. "It's just that she's 20 this week. I figured she would find someone to drink with and she didn't."

"Go on." She left her tray abandoned, ignoring it and the remaining food on it to give Kyoko her full attention.

"Eh, it's a few things. She and I are friends, but…you know." There wasn't a need to repeat her yearly struggle of what an appropriate gift would be to express that she was okay with being just friends if that's what she wanted, without bordering on awkwardly personal. "It's different this year. She said she doesn't want to go out, she's going to stay home and invited Madoka and me to join her. Madoka refused, said she's gonna wait, that means it's just us."

"Is that something you don't want?" Homura didn't bother bringing up the fact that she was only 19; that didn't stop her from being a more experienced drinker than any of them.

"I don't know, that's why I'm talking to you." She gave a half-hearted shrug. "I can't say I make the best decisions drunk, and I'd rather still be friends with her at the end of the night."

"But she wants you there, and you don't want to disappoint her or make her feel lonely about it." She finished her thought before she could put it into words.

"You got it." Kyoko groaned, leaning back and leaving a fry to hang out of her mouth like a salty Pocky stick. "This is a pain in the ass. I just want her to tell me straight, ya know? That she likes men and I don't have a chance, and we'll be friends."

"Then talk to her about it."

Kyoko snorted. "I'm not taking advice like that from the queen of dodging the topic."

Homura's brow furrowed in confusion, and Kyoko could swear she was glaring at her. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"You and Madoka. You're not over that, are you?" She leaned forward, elbows on the table to get as close as possible. "I'm sure you two have talked all about it, right?"

"My friendship with Madoka is irrelevant." She looked away, trying to shut the conversation down.

"Nah, it's the same thing. Go ahead, just talk, worst that can happen is she tells you she's been holding out for Prince Charming." The atmosphere felt much lighter with the tables turned.

"I wasn't aware we were here to discuss my personal life." It was rare that she could get Homura legitimately riled up over it, but the few times it worked were worth the numerous failures.

"Because you're afraid of the best case scenario. You're Prince Charming." The glare she received would've been enough to darken anyone else's soul gem. "Yeah I get it."

"Are we done here?"

"You done with that?" Kyoko pointed to Homura's remaining fries, which she pushed towards her. "I thought of a way you can help me."

"What did you have in mind?" It looked like she had no faith in this surprise plan, but she was wrong. It was definitely foolproof.

"You gotta be Sayaka's friend first, then ask her about me. Tell me how she feels and then I'll know what my options are." Like a wingman.

"No. Talk to her yourself." She moved to stand and take her tray to the trash bin.

"Hey come on, get back here." Kyoko reached forward and held her wrist in a vice grip. "This helps you out too. Madoka isn't your girlfriend because you aren't friends with her best friend. She doesn't approve of you, so Madoka is supposed to find someone else."

"Miki-san has made every effort to avoid my friendship since we first met." She moved away like she expected Kyoko to let her go, but she gripped it a little tighter.

"You haven't even tried to be friends. I got it all figured out, that's why neither of us have them. Madoka won't get with you because Sayaka won't approve, and Sayaka won't get with me because she doesn't like you." She tried gesturing with her hands, but it was awkward with Homura's in the way.

"I've already tried in-"

"Yeah, yeah, one of those timelines. You blame everything on those." If they did happen, and Homura wasn't one to hold out a practical joke like that for so many years, it was actually a good excuse. But she didn't have to tell her that. "All I'm saying is it's your fault."

"Then you can stop bringing your problems to me if you want a girlfriend." She tried once more to wrench her arm free.

"I could always take you back to my place, baby." Kyoko smirked and dodged the used napkin that flew in her direction, releasing Homura to duck out of the way. "I get it, I get it. Not feeling too friendly then, are ya?"

"We've never been on particularly friendly terms, no." Kyoko huffed and crossed her arms at this answer. She and Sayaka were far from hostile, but she thought they really could get along if only to make things a little less awkwardly silent when they were left alone.

"It was worth a shot. I'm done here then." She took her own tray to the trash.

"Do you know what you're going to do about Miki-san's birthday?"

"Might as well go, I don't wanna hurt her. If I don't go that'll happen, but if I do I might not do something stupid." The possibility that it might go over harmlessly was worth the risk of not leaving her on her own and guaranteeing some hurt feelings.

"Is that all you wanted?" She stopped before opening the door and leaving, glancing at Kyoko.

"Yeah, thanks for listening." She pushed the door open and walked past her, holding it open with her foot just long enough to walk through herself.

"You can call me if you need anything else."

"Ya know, you could help me practice before then. We go to your place and make sure I can keep everything to myself." She stood carefully out of reach in case she decided to take a swing at her.

"Not a chance." She closed her eyes and sighed, having seemingly no trouble walking still. When she first met her, that sort of carelessly cool behavior pissed her off. Since speaking to her, she made it a habit to jab her in the ribs every time she closed her eyes in an attempt to knock her over; it never once succeeded.

"I ain't gonna kiss ya," she huffed in response. "Come on, you're so unhelpful today."

"I would rather none of my things end up broken by the end of the night." Homura took her keys out of her pocket and kept a loose hold on them. "Do you need a ride home?"

"Nah, I'll walk. I need to think alone for a bit." She had a lot of thinking to do and only a week to sort through this problem. And she didn't live very far away. And she wouldn't say it aloud, but Homura was the most boring driver she'd been with. Too slow and careful, never wanted to talk or goof off, and enforced a strict policy of sitting properly.

Homura looked her over carefully, but said nothing. Good, she didn't want to sit through a lecture about opening up, another reason she brought her problems to her. "Don't say I didn't offer."

"Yeah, got it. Hey." She reached out to tap her shoulder as she walked away, catching her attention one last time. "I mean it, thanks."

Homura nodded but didn't bother turning around. "You've done the same for me countless times."

"Heh, guess so. See you around." Kyoko stood up from the wall she'd been leaning against and circled the building towards her apartment. Walking really wasn't so bad, it felt good to stretch her legs out and maybe even work up a sweat when her life wasn't in danger. Between the silence and Homura not there tempting her to make her day hell, her head was clear.

_Damn idiot_. This would've been easier if Sayaka just had someone else and avoided talking to her until the hangover passed. Lonelier, but required her to do nothing more than stay up late complaining to Homura over the phone. Maybe time it to interrupt an inevitable conversation with Madoka so she could feel just as upset as her.

There was no point in lingering on the what-ifs. Reality was that she would have to decide what to do in the present. Not drinking was out of the question, Sayaka wanted a partner to drink with and she had to live up to that much. She'd have to monitor herself closely if she went, made sure she knew exactly what she was doing at all times.

A headache was building just from thinking about it, and it felt like something had her stomach tightly in its fist and was twisting it into a knot. Or maybe it was just lunch. Probably not that, but she was afraid she was about to lose it the more she thought about it. The bottle of sake in her pantry was sounding better the closer she got.

* * *

Sayaka's text said to be at her house at 8:00. Her phone's clock read 57:47, and she was standing at the front door. She couldn't justify standing in front of her house for the extra 13 minutes, but that was too early to show up. Sometimes Sayaka would spend her time getting ready until the last minute, but this wasn't like they were going out. Did she need to get ready if they were staying at home?

Ultimately she decided that the fast food she brought was going to get cold if she didn't get inside immediately. She had no problem leaving it out on the table and eating it stone cold the next morning, but Sayaka was pickier. By 6:00, it would've cooled off even in the warm summer evening weather.

7:48. Almost 8:00. Kyoko twisted the doorknob and walked in, announcing herself with a, "Sayaka, I brought dinner."

Before she could close the door behind her Sayaka had leapt off the couch, soul gem manifested in her hand. She deflated when she saw Kyoko kicking her shoes off, formed it back into a ring, and put on a half-assed glare. "You could've knocked."

"You could've locked your door." She walked into the living room and dropped the bags and cup holder on the coffee table. "Don't you think you're overreacting, pulling out your soul gem like that?"

Sayaka huffed and threw herself back onto the couch, grabbing the bag and soda closest to her. "I just reacted, most people don't walk through doors unless you're a robber or something."

"No point transforming over it. Aren't your parents home? They could've…." She sat down next to Sayaka and held onto her own bag, looking into it but remaining motionless.

"It's alright." Sayaka put a hand on Kyoko's shoulder. "They left for the night since I told them I would have company. And I'm sure they wouldn't…you know." She laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah." Kyoko picked up her soda and brought the straw to her mouth, using it as an excuse to not have to talk. Her family wasn't around, but that was still reckless and- "You said your family is out?"

"Yep, they're with some friends I think, won't be home until tomorrow." She said this calmly, like she would have said anything else. "Oh, you got my order right."

Kyoko set the bag back on the table, quickly saying, "I'm using the bathroom." Sayaka glanced back at her, but didn't say anything. She could hear the channels being flipped.

The door slammed behind her and Kyoko pulled out her phone, sending Homura the brief text, "Get your ass over here."

Her plan was simple: don't drink more than two of anything, make sure Sayaka stayed hydrated, and as a failsafe they weren't going to be alone. Her parents allowed her here, so she was going to be respectful and use that as a dangerous reminder that nothing could happen between them. Having someone's parents close by killed a mood even when alcohol was brought in, but that was gone now.

Her phone buzzed and she read Homura's response, "No, I'm busy."

Kyoko glared at the phone as if Homura could see it. "Tell Madoka you have to go and help me out."

There was a longer wait for a reply this time. "It doesn't matter whether or not I'm with Madoka. I'm not going."

She was definitely with her. "Her parents aren't home, I need someone else here." After another too-long wait, she sent another. "I've bailed you out before, come on."

Homura responded to that one. "Madoka says she knew Sayaka's parents were leaving, and that's why she isn't there. She wanted you two to be alone."

"Madoka please. Come over and spend some time with Sayaka, you don't have to drink." She tried begging the kinder one between the two.

"She's not going. I'm turning off my phone."

"Dammit Homura!" She pressed her thumb on the exclamation mark key harder than necessary and jammed send.

As she was soaking her face with cold water from the sink, the phone lit up from a new message. "Everything is fine, Kyoko. If things go badly, text me and I'll be there. But if it's not an emergency, don't contact me."

"Thanks a lot, jerk." She sent one last message before stuffing her phone in her pocket, but did feel a little better. Homura was throwing her headfirst into danger, but she still had her back. When this was over, maybe she wouldn't feel so angry or abandoned.

Sayaka had left the TV on some game show, but was standing in the kitchen, burger in her hand. She looked up when she saw her turn the corner from the hallway. "How long are you supposed to wait after eating? 30 minutes?"

"It's not swimming, you're just drinking." She dug through her own bad finally, taking out the fries that were no longer as hot and crispy as when she bought them. "It's barely eight, aren't you still 19?"

"That's not stopping you." She grinned mischievously and moved some bottles from the fridge to the counter. "It's close enough, right?"

"I never said I didn't approve." Alcohol was great at smoothing out some of the awkwardness in conversations, and if they got started soon the evening would be easier. She hoped so, at least.

"So…." She threw the burger's wrapper in the trash can and looked at the drinks with a puzzled expression. "What do you do with it?"

"You mix them together and drink them. Or you just drink them straight if you want." She never had a proper teacher, but it wasn't hard to learn.

"Which ones?" Sayaka opened a bottle and poured it into a glass, wrinkling her nose. "It smells awful."

Kyoko couldn't tell what she poured out, but she covered a smile with her hand. "It tastes a lot better than it smells. You should drink it."

"Are you sure?" She raised the glass for another whiff, looking just as displeased as before.

"Yeah, watch." Kyoko walked up and, without hesitation, took a huge gulp and swallowed before she had the chance to taste it. It took every ounce of self control to not grimace or shudder at the burn, but she put it back on the counter. "See? You should taste everything you drink so you know if you'll like it."

She must have looked convincing, because Sayaka took a hesitant sip. Her eyes squeezed shut as it made contact with her tongue and she slammed the glass down, spitting it out. "What the hell!?"

Kyoko couldn't keep in her laughter at that, and she didn't have time to dodge when Sayaka smacked her in the arm. "Sorry, that was hilarious."

"That's disgusting!" She stole a handful of Kyoko's fries to wash out the taste. "People really drink this?"

"Not usually like that. You got any juice?" While Sayaka was busy sulking, she looked through her fridge.

"If we do it's on the top shelf." It was pretty adorable how pissed she sounded at the minor inconvenience of drinking. Cute idiot.

"Found it." She mentally beat herself for that thought. Just friends tonight. If her mind wandered that far already then she would have a hard time when she did drink. "If you mix it, it's not as bad." She filled the remainder of the glass with the generic fruit punch.

"Are you lying again?" Sayaka inspected the glass closely, like she expected to be able to drink it with her eyes.

"Ain't gonna pull that on you twice, no fun the second time." Mixing whatever juice and alcohol was available was, from her own experience, the easiest and most effective way to drink without fighting your own gag reflex.

She made a face like she was licking a trash can when she took a drink, but swallowed it this time. "It's not that great."

"You get used to it." Kyoko looked at the assortment of bottles on her counter. "They didn't leave you much of the fancy stuff, huh?"

"I don't know the difference." Sayaka took frequent sips from her glass, but never more than a little bit. "Is this bad?"

"Nah, it's great, more than I've seen at once." There wasn't enough to stock a whole bar or anything, but it was too many to carry at once. "They got some kinds, you pour it in and it makes it taste like chocolate or whatever it is."

"They can make it taste better?" She did seem open to the idea.

"Not always better, they're pretty bad on their own. Ever drink vanilla? Oh, this is one of them." Kyoko poured an apple liqueur into her glass. "There's lotsa kinds like this."

Sayaka tried it again, but wasn't entirely satisfied. "I think the juice is better without it."

"When you drink more you stop tasting it." She poured juice into a cup for herself, recreating what Sayaka had for herself. It didn't taste nearly as bad as she made it out to be.

"Why would you want to drink it so much that you like it?" She watched Kyoko drink her own quickly with an almost disgusted expression. That was one drink, she would only have one more.

"Dunno, makes you happy. You'll see." She didn't think much of it at first either, but it didn't take long to change her mind.

"It just feels…." Sayaka trailed off, zoning out and pulling on her cheek. "Fluffy. And like when your leg is asleep."

"Then it's working." Her own fingertips and face started to feel prickly already, halfway through her first. "Go faster, you're falling behind."

"I'm trying." She was taking longer drinks, but looked regretful each time her lips touched the glass. "When does this get fun?"

Kyoko tried to think about what other people did. She had a good time as long as she had another person or a phone with her, but this had to be more special. "What movies ya got?"

"They're over there." She pointed to a shelf by the TV, swirling the liquid around the sides of her glass and doing everything but drinking it.

"Finish that so we can do something." Sayaka groaned loudly but drank diligently. She skimmed the titles on the spines and pulled out an action movie that she had probably seen before, but it didn't stand out in her mind. "I'm gonna make you something else, and we're gonna watch a movie. If the movie is too loud or too quiet to hear anything, you take a big drink. And if there's a bad joke you take one too."

"Sounds like fun. What'cha making?" Her glass was almost empty; Kyoko finished hers off as the DVD loaded.

"I dunno yet." Maybe she should've though of that. Sayaka wasn't used to it yet so she couldn't just drink random bottles mixed together. "Oh, gimme your soda."

"You have your own." Sayaka held the to-go cup protectively.

"Just take the top off, we're using it for the movie." She obliged, allowing Kyoko to pour in an unidentified bottle of dark liquor.

Sayaka tasted this one as well and glared at Kyoko. "You ruined my root beer."

"You'll thank me later." She popped the lid off her own, reminding herself this was it. This was the last one she was making for herself because she wasn't going to do anything stupid.

Sayaka sat at the far end of the couch, feet propped up on the table. Kyoko sprawled out, arms stretched along the back. Her complaints – "Do I have to drink _every _time? There's too much whispering." – became less frequent the more she had, until Kyoko was sent to the kitchen to make something else.

The first half of the movie was over, and Sayaka had barely taken her mouth off the glass once Kyoko handed it to her. "Hey, if you don't slow down you'll get sick."

"S'loud." She stopped drinking just long enough to say that, but kept her lips pressed to the rim to drink as soon as she got the words out.

"Turn the volume down." Kyoko lowered it, but she still continued.

"What now?"

"Too quiet." Sayaka stopped to turn her head up and grin at her. Her heart skipped, just a brief second for that pang, and she walked around the couch to sit next to her. Before she could, Sayaka held her back with her free hand, using her more to balance than actually pushing her away. "No you can't."

"Why?" She could easily ignore her take a seat, but listened.

"You don't have a drink." Her glare failed, given her difficulty in even looking directly at her.

"I have to stay sober so I can watch you." She was doing that part of her job at least, watching Sayaka _very _closely.

"One more come on." Sayaka finished off the rest of hers as quickly as she could, spilling some down her chin. "Now you hav'ta make more. Make yers an' mine." Her forehead wrinkled as she concentrated on holding the empty cup outwards towards her.

"If I have too much then I can't make any." It would be messy, and Sayaka actually cared to keep everything clean. Her own apartment had stains on every surface, but everything here was so tidy.

"One more. Drink 'til you can't make more. Just one." She held up two fingers, raising one each time she said the word "one."

Kyoko groaned and took her glass. The responsible thing to do would be fill it with water instead, tell her she was just getting used to it. She didn't think of herself as responsible though, and this was Sayaka's first time. It was a big deal, she didn't need to treat the threat of a hangover as seriously as a wraith.

"Okay but just one." She was surprised at how much trouble it was to pour anything out of the bottles without shaking. With great effort she had two mostly-identical drinks to bring to the table, and a hand towel on the counter soaked in spilled alcohol.

"You can sit now." Sayaka waited for her to join her on the couch and pushed herself closer, pressing into her side, both hands wrapped around her glass.

"I missed what's happening in the movie." She wrapped an arm around her and she scooted in, head laying across her chest and coming close to sitting in her lap.

"Me too." Kyoko nearly spat her drink onto herself when she realized the situation. This was the exact opposite of what she wanted to happen. She removed her arm and pulled away, causing Sayaka to jolt and spill most of it onto the floor. "Th'hell was that for?"

"Hey, Sayaka. Did I, uh…." Worry rose that she'd forgotten that she pulled her in, or did anything that she didn't want. "Did I maybe say somethin' weird?"

"That question's weird." She sulked and began mopping up the wet carpet with a sock that she kicked off.

"Nah, like…. What'd I say when I sat down?" That memory was already hazy.

"You, uh…just sat I think." Her feet kicked at the puddle on the floor, too much for a pair of socks to absorb it all.

"Then why're ya layin' on me?" If she didn't pull her onto her, then…. Her mind drew a complete blank.

"Because I wanna." There was a definite flush across her face, and Kyoko felt herself getting warm as well.

"Why..." She couldn't put a question into words. In fact she didn't even want to question it, this was a good spot to be in. But something in her head told her that it was wrong. "Why this?"

"Why what?" Sayaka frowned and took another drink, nearly draining what little was left. "Yer comfy."

"Yeah but...you know." She tried to motion with her hands but wasn't sure what she was trying to say at the first place, and ended up awkwardly flailing them into each other a few times. "Guys and boyfriends."

"But I'm single." She put her cup on the table, but missed and it dropped to the floor to roll against the couch. "And I'm out. You spilled mine."

"No you spilled it." Sayaka glared at her again. "Alright I geddit, I'll make another."

"You too!" She pulled herself over the back of the couch to point at her. "You drink one too."

"I already got one." It was still on the table, and she was sure that was the last one she was going to have.

"One more," she demanded. "Make it 'n come back and it's fer after."

Kyoko wasn't sure what she made, but she had two of them in front of her. "Alright but jus' one more." Sayaka returned to leaning on her when she sat down. "Oi, tha's..." It was something.

"I like you, ya moron." She buried her face in her cup but continued talking, saying nothing that Kyoko could understand.

"But that..." Was wrong...right? Maybe right. She definitely had an opinion on this at least, and it was a matter of figuring out what her opinion was.

"Hey, say somethin'." She looked down, but nuzzled her head into the crook of her neck like she forgot that she was trying to look away.

"I, uh, I guess I like ya too." With nothing else to say, she picked up one of the glasses on the table. Her face was burning, and she wasn't sure if it was the embarrassment or the alcohol. Or both. Or the embarrassment. Or the alcohol.

"They why're ya askin' me why?" Sayaka couldn't figure out how to drink while laying on her and sat up, but still pressed close into her side.

"'Cause ya...don't remember what ya ask." She probably had some boyfriend to call, and he was going to be mad when he saw her snuggling so close.

"Asked if you like me." Oh yeah, that was probably it.

"'Course I do." Always had, and she had to be honest about it. For some reason. Honesty was really, really good.

"Why?"

"Well yer, kinda...yer really..." Lots of reasons, too many to say. "Yeah, wow."

"Thanks." They were both quiet for some length of time that she didn't bother keeping track of, finishing the drinks they held so that they could be put on the table with nothing to get in the way. Kyoko had stretched herself out along the length of the couch, Sayaka pressed close and mostly laying on top of her so that neither of them would fall off the side. And she was sure that she fell asleep like that.

* * *

Kyoko woke up sprawled out in an arm chair, every limb aching, but not as much as her head. The TV was still on, looping the play menu to the movie she'd left in, but she couldn't find the remote to turn it off. She tried to crawl out of the chair to hit the power button on the TV itself, but her sore legs gave out and she landed face first on the carpet.

It was too much effort to drag herself up, the floor was pretty comfortable. She could stretch out and doze back to sleep with all this room. Something fuzzy was in the way of her foot, and she kicked at it until it moved out of the way with an irritated groan.

Nothing in her apartment would complain if she moved it, she didn't keep pets around. And her carpet wasn't this soft, or clean, or clear enough to lay on it. She rolled over to look down at her feet and found her foot resting against a mess of blue hair.

Oh yeah, she was at Sayaka's place. They fell asleep after drinking too much. But that didn't explain how she ended up on the floor when they were supposed to be responsible. It wasn't responsible to become so drunk they fell asleep where they landed. But it was probably fun.

"Oi, Sayaka. Wake up." She nudged her again until she could mumble into the carpet, coherent enough to attempt to form words. "I think it's late." The room was fully lit even though the blinds were closed, and she normally slept in late even when sober.

"Bluh." She swiped a hand to push her away, failing and resting it on her ankle lazily.

"C'mon, get up." Kyoko stretched one last time and pushed herself to her elbows. She was in better condition, and it was probably her fault that Sayaka was in such bad shape, so it was up to her to make the hangover manageable. It wasn't her first time working through one.

"Bed." Sayaka rolled out of the way and kept her back to Kyoko.

"No, that's not bed." She huffed and flopped a hand to lay over her ear. "I'll make you breakfast, try and sit up."

Breakfast always made her feel better after a rough night, even though it was technically the afternoon. They just woke up, it was breakfast time. There had to be something to cook in Sayaka's fridge.

She was still lying motionless on the floor when Kyoko dragged herself into the kitchen. Cooking was so much work, but they couldn't run through a drive thru like this. All she had to do was put things in a pan and put it on a plate with some toast. Technically breakfast.

The smell coming from the frying pan must've reached the living room. Sayaka rolled onto her back and tried to look at her. "Don't burn down the house."

"You're not allowed to tell me that." She had a policy of never wasting food, but Sayaka's cooking tested that belief. Her own skills were limited, but a far cry from inedible.

"Eh." She rolled over and covered her face. "Feel bad."

"You'll feel better when you eat, just wait." She wasn't keen on standing and moving around, but she managed to be the adult and get off her ass. A little reluctantly, she abandoned the stove to carry Sayaka to the couch.

"Thanks." She wasted no time in making herself comfortable on the much softer cushions.

"I'll bring ya some painkillers when I'm done, it'll help with the stiffness." Kyoko had already learned personally how much worse it would be if she took medicine before breakfast.

She was left with her thoughts while waiting, since Sayaka wasn't capable of conversation. Something happened last night, and she wasn't sure that she remembered what. They just watched a movie, but her alcohol-addled mind changed her recollection of the events. It was Homura's fault for putting those thoughts in her mind in the first place.

That gave her an idea of something to do. She could call Homura and bother her for a while, tell her about all the trouble she caused. When she checked her phone, there were two missed texts from her. From the early hours in the morning, "Stop calling me," and "I'm turning off my phone."

She returned the texts, asking a simple, "Did I bother you last night?"

There was a response while she was attending to the stove. "Yes. Did you just wake up?"

With a response that rude she didn't feel the need to apologize. "What did I do?"

The next reply took a little longer. "I sent you the voice mails you left me last night. Turn down your volume before you listen to them."

"What's in them?" Her phone alerted her that she received them.

"You can thank me after you listen to them."

"?" She didn't get anything back afterwards, even after she sent a longer stream of question marks. It was frustrating that she wouldn't even tell her what she sent, but she turned her volume down and opened the files.

Homura was right, they really were loud, and she was definitely going to thank her for sending them. Maybe even force her into a hug when she next saw her, if it worked out. She turned the stove off and practically bounced to Sayaka's side.

"Hey, Sayaka, it's almost ready." She knelt down next to her. "But you gotta answer a question first."

"Huh?" She turned her head to the side to look at her.

"What do you think of me?"

Sayaka huffed. "Irresponsible moron."

"No, really." That was probably true, it was her fault they were like this, but that wasn't why she was asking. She opened the recordings while she spoke. "I'm your friend, yeah? But what do you think of that?"

"What are you talking-" Kyoko played the first message, volume turned up so that she could definitely hear it.

"_Heeeeey Homura. Guess what. You're not gonna guess so guess what. Me and Sayaka,_" she paused to laugh hysterically, "_I was right!_"

Another one. "_Homura guess what again. Have you kissed anyone yet? Because I did. I'm doing it right now. I'm gonna do it. Oi, Sayaka, where-_"

The next one was Sayaka's voice. "_Yo, Homura-san! Kyoko says you're not gonna believe her so we're gonna girlfriends and you're not invited! This is a good idea it's a really good idea and you can't steal it._"

There were a few more, losing coherency each time until the last one, a long, uninterrupted scream. Kyoko couldn't keep from grinning, but Sayaka spoke first. "I'm gonna be sick."

Her heart sunk. "Hey, if you don't wanna be together just tell me, we can forget this happened." Sayaka leaned over the side of the couch and threw up. "Oh, shit, that's what ya meant…."

"S'ry." She wiped her mouth off with her hand and rubbed it on her pants.

"I'll get your plate, we can clean up after." With two plates piled high, she helped move Sayaka to the opposite side of the couch and handed her two pills. "So…did'ya mean it last night?"

"I…I guess. Kinda weird, how do you feel about it?" She paid close attention to her plate, picking at it slowly.

"I've always liked ya, if you want the truth." She shrugged like it didn't matter, but it felt so good to get it out. And her heart wouldn't stop pounding, it sounded like Sayaka agreed.

"Then why didn't you say anything? I like-" Sayaka cut herself off and huffed. "You should've said so."

"Ya didn't make it easy. All those boyfriends around." It certainly was a surprise.

"It's just easier to find a boyfriend than a, well…you know, another girl." Her face was clearly red even though she covered it with her hand. "I thought if you would tell me if you wanted to."

"Can't expect me to do everything." Apparently the only thing between them this whole time was Sayaka's closet bisexuality. If at any point in the past six years one of them said something, this wouldn't have been a problem. And now their first day together would be spent cleaning spills and vomit.

"Well, we could do it now. Make up for the missed time." Sayaka put her fork down, looked off to the side. "You still like me, right?"

"Y- yeah." She was suddenly nervous about what she meant. This should've been amazing news but her heart rate skyrocketed further and her mind fogged. "Why?"

"I like you, too." She grinned and leaned in close, seemingly confident but face flushed.

"Hey." Kyoko backed up and looked to the side. "Don't get yer sick all over me. Go wash yer mouth out or somethin'."

Sayaka giggled and back away from her. "I'll come back after I brush my teeth."

Kyoko was sure she was sweating, but she was so excited to hear that. There was only one thing she had to do before she would explode from the giddiness. She picked up her phone and scrolled to Homura in her contacts, texting her, "I owe you one."

* * *

"I didn't think it'd work out that well." Kyoko went home the next day, and hadn't spoken with Homura until now. She called her once she was in her own apartment, still feeling so fluttery.

"I'm surprised you found somebody who can put up with you." She was as dry as ever.

"Thanks for the support." This was only half as sarcastic as she meant it to come out. "Really though, this wouldn't have happened if you didn't save those voice mails."

"Now you can stop coming to me with your complaints about your relationship with her." That probably was a majority of her motivation for helping her. It didn't matter, she did it and now she was happy.

"Yep, I'm happy."

"Don't leave me any more late-night voice mails. I won't be saving them next time." She sounded so stern, and if Kyoko didn't know her she would've believed that she wouldn't tolerate it anymore for anything, not even if her life was on the line.

"I won't need to, don't worry." It was a huge favor, so she was going to be careful to not terribly inconvenience her. "Hey, how about for my thanks you pick me up and we'll go for dinner."

"I'll pass."

"I'm paying, get your ass over here." She wouldn't have as much time to spend with her anymore, so this might've been the last time they could go out together. Kyoko didn't wasn't Sayaka to think she was unfaithful if she was always going out with another girl.

She could hear Homura sigh over the other end of the line. "Alright, I'll be there in a few."

"While we're there I can help you get a date with Madoka. What do you think?" There was no answer, Homura had hung up on her. "Hah, alright, maybe you'll accept my help another time," she said to the dial tone before putting her phone back in her pocket.


End file.
